A Major

Playing an A chord on guitar is relatively straightforward (compared to some other chords, such as F), but it still presents a big challenge to the absolute guitar beginner.

So what can you do to quickly learn how to play the A chord on guitar?

2 Important Tips For Playing The A Chord On Guitar

Compress your fingers together as much as possible – try to form them into 1 ‘block’ that you can fret as a single movement.

It is essential that you play with your fingertips (the very ends of your fingers – just below your fingernails). Do not use the ‘pads’ of your fingers (where your fingerprints are). Your fingertips need to make contact with the fretboard at a 90-degree angle.

Easy ways to play the A chord on guitar

I tell my new students to play an easier version of A, just to get them started. This very easy chord is called “Asus2” and it looks like this:

Asus2

This is a fabulous version of A to learn and it acts as an excellent stepping stone towards playing the full A chord.

The Best Easy Versions Of This Chord

Another way to play the A chord

Another alternative version of the A chord on guitar is “A7”. This is a relatively easy chord to play and has an interesting (and much stronger) sound than Asus2.

A7

This chord works particularly well for rock, blues and jazz.

2 bonus tips to use when playing A chords

Remember that regardless of what version of A chord you play, you should only play strings 1-5. String 6 should not be played! Let’s have a quick refresher on string numbers:

Don’t ever be tempted to play Am (pronounced “A minor”) or Am7 (pronounced “A minor 7”) instead of the A chords above. A minor has a very different sound to A!

The most common types of A chord.

Download a free beginner chord guide and learn easy versions of every chord

✓ Say goodbye to frustration and twisted fingers. Say hello to MAKING MUSIC.

The most common barred A chords

(This is more for intermediate and advanced guitarists, so don’t worry if you can’t play these yet!)

Find Out What You Should Learn Next With Our Guitar Map

If you want to understand where you’re up to in your guitar journey you should take a look at our Guitar Map.
It will show you what you ‘should’ know by now (and also what you need to learn next to move forward as a guitarist).

Most people find that the Guitar Map shows them how everything fits together and best of all, it will help you identify gaps in your knowledge that are holding you back.

(There is often just one piece of information that holds people back, 1 key insight that they need to know so they can continue moving forward and improving in their guitar journey.)

I made the Guitar Map so people like you can quickly identify what you don’t know, that you need to know next. I hope that makes sense!?